


Golden Days

by Humansunshine



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Based On A Panic! At The Disco Song, Immortality Talk, M/M, Song fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 14:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15026675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humansunshine/pseuds/Humansunshine
Summary: Catarina sends Magnus a box of old Polaroids, and it leads to a very important conversationBased on Golden Days by Panic! At The Disco





	Golden Days

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooEv1cH97HA
> 
> I have a lot of feelings. This is purely self-indulgence.

“Angel, are you up?” Magnus called, though he knew what the answer would be. He’d heard Alec shuffling around in the bedroom when he came in from his morning jog a little while ago. The box that Catarina had promised him a few nights ago was sitting on his coffee table, and he was excited to open it. 

 

“Yeah, be right out!” Alec replied from the bathroom as Magnus put a pot of coffee to brew. “Good run?”

 

“Bit cold, but I soon warmed up. French toast?” He asked hopefully, and Alec smiled, kissing him as they passed in the bedroom doorway. 

 

“Anything for you, babe.” He promised, smacking Magnus’ ass lightly as he passed. Magnus smirked at him over his shoulder, peeling off his workout top and throwing it at the other man. Alec fake-retched at the smell of it and tossed it at the laundry hamper before heading to the kitchen. 

 

Magnus didn’t take as much time as usual washing up, and was out and dressed again in less than ten minutes, by which point Alec had made some delicious-smelling breakfast. Magnus picked up the box on his way to the dining room table and deposited it between himself and where Alec was taking a seat. 

 

“What’s that?” Alec asked, shifting his plate away from the box. He’d been privy to enough weird deliveries by now to be suspicious of the unmarked box.

 

_ I found a pile of Polaroids _

_ In the crates of a record shop _

_ They were sexy, sexy looking back _

_ From a night that time forgot, hmm _

_ Boy he was something debonair in 1979 _

_ And she had Farrah Fawcett hair _

_ Carafes of blood red wine, hmm _

 

“Catarina was clearing out her storage container so she’d have a place for Madzie’s old toys, and she came across these polaroids of us and Ragnor. Raphael’s in a few of them, too. I thought it would be nice to take a trip down memory lane.” Magnus explained, digging into his breakfast. “But after we eat, I don’t want to ruin them.” 

 

“Which of you was the photographer?” Alec wondered out loud. There was usually a slightly less attractive member of any friendship group that was camera shy; he’d always been that guy when he, Izzy and Jace went out, but none of Magnus’ friends were exactly bashful. 

 

“We took it in turns. You know us, all of us like a little bit of the spotlight.” Magnus chuckled, smiling fondly at the memories. 

 

After they’d eaten, Magnus banished the mess to the kitchen and reached eagerly for the box, flipping open the lid. Alec took a handful of the square pictures, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at the first photograph. Magnus and Raphael were smoking cigars, smouldering at the camera in a half-joking way, but Alec would be lying if he said the look on Magnus’ face wasn’t hot. 

 

“Why are you dressed all in white? You never wear white.” Alec commented, showing Magnus the picture. 

 

He laughed, and took it gently from between Alec’s fingers. “This was an angels and demons party in the late seventies in LA. Of course we all dressed as angels, we weren’t going to pass up that opportunity. Catarina was dating a small-time actor, let’s see if we can find a picture…” He hummed, flicking through some of the pictures. “Ah… God, I forgot she used to wear her hair like that…”

 

“What is that?” Alec gasped, squinting at the photograph. “Is that a wig?” 

 

“Nope, she magicked it like that. Mostly ironically, or so she insists now,” Magnus shrugged, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Farrah Fawcett was the it girl. Everyone wanted that haircut. And it worked, because look at that man next to her…” 

 

Alec’s eyes widened, and he nodded. “He is stupidly handsome. Movie star handsome.” 

 

“I know! He was awful in the sack, of course, but he was nice to look at, and he made Cat laugh, so it was fine for a while.” Magnus shrugged, putting that picture aside to look through the others. 

 

_ In the summertime _

_ In the summertime _

 

“I can’t imagine Raphael in LA,” Alec admitted wryly, “I can’t imagine him letting loose and having fun.” 

 

“Well, summer nights are short, but he made the most of them.” Magnus smiled, “this was after Ragnor stepped down as High Warlock of London and a couple of months before I stepped up as High Warlock of Brooklyn. Catarina was going to medical school in the fall, and we wanted to have one last summer of revelry before we all sort of settled down. I think I’d just heard that I’d be taking over as High Warlock, so I was in a wonderful mood.” 

 

“You know,” Alec murmured, putting down the pictures. “It used to be a little weird for me, thinking about how old you are. Not enough to ever put me off falling in love with you, but… I couldn’t wrap my head around it. And now I can’t imagine a world where you don’t exist. Not past, present or future.” 

 

Magnus squeezed Alec’s hand lifting it to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of it. “I can’t imagine a world without you despite knowing it’s all too possible. I have no idea how I managed without you before we met.”

 

_ Oh don't you wonder when the light begins to fade? _

_ And the clock just makes the colors turn to grey _

 

Alec smiled at that, and Magnus dropped his eyes back to the photographs. He tried to fight it, but Alec couldn’t help but think about the future. About after him. When Magnus’ heart would beat on while Alec’s shrivelled in his grave. What would become of him? Would he crumble? Would he thrive? There was not a damn thing that Alec could do to make sure of his happiness in a hundred years’ time, and that scared the shit out of him. He forced himself to look down at the pictures, looking at Magnus’ contentment from all those years ago. He found that happiness before, and he could find it again, Alec told himself. 

 

_ Forever younger growing older just the same _

_ All the memories that we make will never change _

 

“I should get a polaroid camera again,” Magnus sighed, his eyes still on his memories. “Though I suppose they’re moot now that camera phones exist. I should be taking more pictures of you.” 

 

“Don’t say that,” Alec groaned playfully, tangling their feet together under the table, “I’ll have to make sure I’m camera ready at all times.” 

 

Magnus looked up, slowly reaching for his phone. Alec rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, looking off to the side in a very deliberate pose. Magnus laughed and took a few photos of him, making the best one his phone background. He always looked so lovely in the mornings, ruffled and relaxed and all Magnus’. He was wearing one of Magnus’ sweaters, a little loose in the shoulders, and an easy affection in his eyes that was only there when it was just the two of them. 

 

“Can you believe one day people are going to think I’m your sugar daddy when we go out?” Alec mused out of the blue, and Magnus snorted. 

 

“What?” 

 

“Well, think about it. I’m going to be this grizzled old man with a beautiful young man dressed to the nines on my arm. That’s definitely what people are going to think.” Alec shrugged.

 

Magnus rolled his eyes. “If it makes you feel better, I can glamour myself to look older when we’re out. You know that.” 

 

“I know, it doesn’t bother me what people think,” Alec pursed his lips, fiddling with a photograph of Ragnor kissing Catarina on the cheek. “It’s just funny to think about.”

 

_ We'll stay drunk, we'll stay tan, let the love remain _

_ And I swear that I'll always paint you  _

_ Golden days! _

 

“Funny haha, or funny ‘I hate this but there’s nothing I can do about it?’” Magnus asked skeptically.

 

Alec bit his lip, looking at Magnus through his eyelashes. “You sure you can’t read my mind?” 

 

Magnus sighed.

 

“I’m not trying to start a fight,” Alec promised, “I just… I want you to be like this,” he held up a photograph of him perched in Catarina’s lap, “always. I want you to be happy and free. And the thought of you being tied down with an old, decrepit old man out of loyalty…”

 

“Alexander,” Magnus plucked the photograph out of Alec’s hand. “This happiness in this picture is empty. I love my family, but they could never quite fill the emptiness, they weren’t quite the right… Shaped key, to unlock my heart. This frivolous summer is dear to me, as are all my frivolous summers before you, but don’t for a second think that I wouldn’t trade another lifetime of summers for even an extra second here with you.”

 

Alec opened his mouth to speak, but he was so touched he didn’t know what to say.

 

_ Golden days! _

 

“These are the best days of my life, Alexander. And I wouldn’t wish them away. Every day with you, right up until your last day, will be the best of my long, long life. I’ll never regret them.” 

 

_ Golden days! _

 

“I love you,” Alec blurted out, taking Magnus’ hands. “I don’t ever want you to be in pain.”

 

_ Golden days! _

 

“How could I ever be in pain knowing that I had all these golden days with you?” Magnus asked, his voice soft and full of emotion. 

 

_ Time can never break your heart _

_ But it'll take the pain away _

_ Right now our future's certain _

_ I won't let it fade away _

 

“What if they never ended?” Alec whispered.

 

Magnus’ eyebrows creased. “What are you talking about?” 

 

“What if our time together never had to end?” 

 

“Alexander-”

 

Alec swallowed hard. “What if I never left you? What if I never aged? What if I… What if I became immortal, like you?” 

 

Magnus blinked slowly. Once. Twice. He opened his mouth. He blinked again, and shut it. His eyes squeezed shut, and rubbed at his beard. 

 

“Clary could make a rune,” Alec offered, deflated. 

 

“Do you know what you’re proposing, Alexander?” Magnus said, finally. 

 

Alec nodded, pressing his hands between his knees. “Yes. Do you not… Want that?” He looked down at the photographs scattered on the table. Perhaps a part of Magnus was anticipating being a free agent again, with no commitments…

 

“I want that more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life,” he admitted, his voice small. He wasn’t looked at Alec, his eyes fixed on his nails. 

 

“Me too,” Alec smiled, reaching out for Magnus’ hand. 

 

_ Golden days _

 

“I want everything with you, Magnus.”

 

_ Golden days _

 

“I want to marry you and raise a bunch of warlock kids with you, and watch them age and never die.”

 

_ Golden days _

 

“I want to see every country in this world, listen to your stories about every city, and make new stories with you.”

 

_ Golden days _

 

“I want to spend lifetimes changing our society for our kids and our kids’ kids, and their kids too. I want to make a difference. And I want to do it all with you.” 

 

Magnus’ lower lip wobbled, and the table disappeared from between them, and Magnus was in Alec’s arms.

 

_ Golden days! _

 

“Please,” Magnus whispered, burying his face in Alec’s hair, “please. All of that.” 

 

_ Golden days! _

 

“All of that and more,” Alec promised, squeezing Magnus tightly. 

 

_ Golden days! _

 

“You’d really stay with me? Forever?” Magnus pulled back, “hundreds and hundreds of years?” 

 

_ Golden days! _

 

Alec cupped Magnus’ face in his hands, and brought their foreheads together. “I will never let you be alone again.”

  
  



End file.
